Arthur and Friends in Rocketeer
by yugiohfan3962
Summary: Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Brain set out on a fun day. But, when one little thing goes wrong, their whole day is changed forever.
1. In the beginning

Rocketeer: The story of a boy, his friends, and one crazy day

 _One day, in the peaceful town of Elwood City..._

Buster Baxter strolled leisurely down the sidewalk towards his friend's house. He was a normal 9 year-old boy with long white ears, a triangle nose, and a face that resembled that of a rabbit. He wore his usual attire, an aqua sweater with a red collar, a pair of blue jeans, and his favorite red and white sneakers. He walked up the driveway of his buddy Arthur's house. Reaching his hand out, Buster pushed the doorbell and waited patiently for an answer.

It didn't take long before he heard the footsteps of someone coming down the staircase right next to the door. He caught a glimpse of yellow pass by the window. At that sight, he knew exactly who was going to answer the door. A few seconds later, the door unlocked and swung open to reveal a boy who was similar in appearance to Buster, but with a few differences. His face resembled that of an aardvark, tan skin, a long face with thin nostrils at the end, and two little ears on the top of his head. He wore circular brown glasses that rested on either side of his head, how they stayed on his head without resting on his ears was a mystery. The outfit he wore was a similar sweater, jeans, and shoes to Buster, only the sweater was a dull yellow in color, with the white collar of his undershirt coming out near his neck was different.

"Hey Buster," Arthur greeted with a smile, "What brings you here this early in the morning?"

"Well, since it's such a nice day outside, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at the treehouse with me," Buster replied.

The treehouse was the best place to hang out if you were a kid in Elwood City. It was located at the top of a large oak tree in the woods located in the middle of the city. Surrounded by nothing more than trees, rivers, and laughing children, it is one of the greatest places to spend your free time.

"Sure, that actually sounds like a lot of fun," Arthur replied, "Let me go get my hat and then we'll leave." He turned around and started up the stairs to his room. Then, he stopped and thought for a second. He shrugged his shoulders and walked back down the stairs.

"I don't need a hat," he said closing the door behind him, "Let's just head over there."

Buster smiled and nodded his head. Together, the two friends strolled down the front walkway. They got to the sidewalk and were about to keep walking when Arthur stopped abruptly. Buster stumbled into him and looked quizzically at his friend.

"Why'd you stop Arthur," Buster asked, "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just…" Arthur started, glancing around, "I feel like someone is watching us."

Buster looked around and started to get the same feeling as his friend. Then, he spotted something rather peculiar. He nudged Arthur in the arm with his elbow.

"Arthur, I think I found who you were looking for," he said with his gaze fixed on his friend's house.

Arthur scanned his house and then saw what Buster was looking at. In one of the two windows near the top of the house was Arthur's little sister, D.W, staring down at them in disgust. The initials D.W stood for Dora Winifred, though no one ever called her that. She was only four years old, but possessed the understanding of someone much older than her. She had the same skin color and face as Arthur, but she didn't wear glasses and had brown hair that only came down to about the middle of her neck. She was wearing her usual attire, which was a pink dress with a white long sleeve shirt underneath, white leggings, and aqua strap-on shoes

Disgust isn't the correct word for the look she was giving them. Her eyes were narrow slits, her mouth, a straight line. It was the sort of stare that would send a shiver down the spine of anyone who looked at it.

"A-A-Arthur," Buster said in a chattering voice, "I f-f-feel c-c-cold."

"M-M-Me too," Arthur responded, not turning away from that icy stare, "B-But it's only s-s-sixty-three degrees."

"L-L-Let's get out of here," Buster said, as he started running down the sidewalk. Arthur peeled his eyes away from his sisters and took off after his friend.

After running for a solid 5 minutes, Buster and Arthur slowed down and doubled over, both with their hands on their knees, gasping for breath. Buster reached into his back pocket and pulled out his inhaler. He quickly put it in his mouth and pressed the button, releasing the medicine into his system and instantly freeing his lungs.

"Do….you….think we lost her," Arthur sputtered through inhales.

"I….think….so," Buster replied, looking over his shoulder, "Was...she….even….chasing us?"

"I don't….think so," Arthur replied, his breathing returning to normal, "But….that run really warmed me up."

"Me too," Buster said, returning himself to an upright position, "Hey, look where we ended up."

Arthur looked to his left to see the familiar house of his friend, Brain.

Brain was in the same 3rd grade class as Buster and Arthur. His real name wasn't Brain Powers, rather it was Alan Powers. He accumulated that nickname because of how smart he was. The kid was a younger version of Albert Einstein, hence the nickname.

"Let's go see if Brain wants to come with us to the treehouse," Arthur said as he walked across the street. The two walked up the walkway and knocked on the door. Brain's mother answered the door. The boys immediately recognized her, not just because she was their friend's mother. She was also the owner of the local ice cream shop in the heart of Elwood City. She greeted the boys with the same amount of enthusiasm as she would with a customer in her shop.

"Hello boys. Alan is in the backyard," she said as she stepped aside, letting them in, "Would you like a snack or something to eat?"

"Yes, please," Buster said instantly. One thing that a person could learn from spending a day with Buster Baxter is that he absolutely loved food. It didn't matter what kind of food it was. If it was good or expired 7 months ago, he would still eat it.

"That's okay Mrs. Powers," Arthur said, pulling Buster outside, "We had a big breakfast."

When they got outside, Buster pulled away from Arthur's grip.

"What did you do that for? I'm starving," Buster yelled.

"If I let you eat, you'd probably devour all of the food in the house," Arthur shot back.

"Oh yeah, I probably would," Buster said, lowering his voice.

"Buster, Arthur, come over here. I've got to show you something," called Brain from a tool shed in the back of the lawn. The two of them walked over towards the toolshed, unaware that when they entered, it would officially send them on the most exciting journey of their lives.

When they walked through the open door of the tool shed, they found Brain standing with goggles and an apron on next to a large object that was as tall as he was, covered with a large white tarp. He was wearing his usual purple sweater with a white undershirt, khakis, and brown loafers. The only difference being the apron. When he removed the goggles from his face, there was a clear indication of where they had been. Brain's skin was a darker tan than Arthur's and the soot that covered his face made it even darker in appearance.

"What's under the tarp Brain," Buster asked, trying to sneak a peek under the tarp.

Brain swatted Buster's hand with his goggles. "I'll tell you if you promise to keep it a secret," he said, walking towards the door.

"We promise," Arthur and Buster said in unison.

"Okay," Brain said, closing the door of the shed. He walked over and yanked the tarp off. As the tarp was removed, there were several "Oohs" and "Ahhs" originating from Arthur and Buster's mouths.

Underneath the tarp was a rocket. Not a model rocket by any means. This thing looked like it could break the sound barrier two times over.

"That's super cool Brain," Arthur said in awe, "Where did you get it?"

"Get it," Brain responded with a chuckle, "I made it from scratch."

"Can this thing go into outer space," Buster questioned, "It would be the perfect way to contact aliens." Along with Buster's obsession with food, he also had an obsession for aliens and supernatural beings. He was convinced that there was life out there and he was going to be the first to communicate with them.

"Of course it can," Brain answered, "That's why I'm glad you guys came over here. I wanted someone else to witness it's maiden voyage. Wanna help me get it into the backyard?"

Arthur and Buster nodded and walked over to the rocket. They both bent over and grabbed the platform it was positioned on and lifted. The rocket was a lot heavier than it looked. The two struggled to keep it from dropping on their toes and not bump into anything at the same time. After a few minutes, they finally got it into position.

"I read somewhere that in order to have a rocket go into outer space," Buster said, "You need to hit the atmosphere at the perfect angle."

"I know," Brain acknowledged, giving Buster a look that said, Are you serious?. "I'm working on the math for that right now."

Arthur and Buster looked over his shoulder to see complex algorithms and math. All the numbers made them dizzy. By the time the world had stopped spinning, Brain had already adjusted the rocket at the perfect angle.

"Hey guys," a gruff voice said from behind them, "Whatcha doing?"

The three boys spun around to see a familiar, but still frightening face.

"Oh, hi Binky," Arthur said, "We were about to launch this rocket."

Binky Barnes was in the same grade as the trio, but only because he had to retake 3rd grade over again. He was significantly larger than any of them. His skin was yellow, with a large head and small ears the rested on the top of them. He wore a long sleeve, orange button shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes. If you didn't know Binky, he would probably take your lunch money or throw a water balloon at you. But, behind the bully attitude was a soft, sensitive side.

"A rocket huh," he replied, "Can it go to the moon?"

"Yeah," Buster answered, "In fact, that is where it is going."

"Hey, you think we can send something up with it," Binky asked, "Like one of my Uncle Slam action figures?"

Uncle Slam was a fictional character from WWE, which Binky watched all the time. The fighter had a striking resemblance to Uncle Sam, but no one made the connection. He was his number one fan and watched all of his fights. Binky knew it was all fake, but it was always fun to see.

Brain shrugged his shoulders. "It's possible, I just need a little time to recalculate the angle."

"Great," Binky said turning around, "I'll go back to my house and get him."

After Binky left, Brain walked inside and grabbed a digital scale and a box of matches from the kitchen and brought it outside. He was going to need exact measurements if he wanted this plan to work.

Ten minutes later, Binky arrived, huffing and puffing. He collapsed on the ground of exhaustion. After a few second, he raised his fist in the air with an action figure held tightly in it. The action figure was dressed in a white tank top with red white and blue shorts and a matching top hat.

"Here…..ya….go," Binky said, handing it over to Brain while he caught his breath.

Brain quickly got to work, weighing the plastic toy and making the necessary calculations, while Arthur and Buster helped Binky to his feet.

Five minutes later, Uncle Slam was all strapped on and the rocket was ready to launch. The four friends ran behind the nearest bush for protection in case the rocket didn't take off.

"Can I be in charge of the countdown," Binky asked, raising his hand.

"This isn't school Binky," Brain said sighing, "But, sure. As soon as that fuse is lit, count d from 15."

Buster reached into his back pocket and pulled out his video camera.

"Is it okay if I film this," Buster asked, pointing the camera at Brain.

Brain looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Where did you get that?"

"It was in my pocket,' Buster answered, "I guess I left it in there from yesterday."

"You're wearing the same pants as you were yesterday," Arthur asked, "Didn't you fall into a puddle then?"

Before Buster could answer, Brain pulled the box of matches out of his back pocket. He stood up and walked towards the rocket. The fuse he had installed would give him about 15 seconds to get to cover before the rocket would launch. He opened the box and pulled a match out. He struck it once, nothing. He struck it a second time and it burst into a small flame. He lowered the match towards the fuse. As soon as he touched the two together, the fuse ignited and sprayed sparks. Brain reeled back and instantly made a run towards the bush. He could hear Binky counting down the time that he needed to get behind the bush before the rocket launched. As he was running back, he saw Buster focusing his video camera on…...a tree?

"Hey little squirrel," Buster said in a high voice to the tiny animal.

"Buster, you're supposed to be filming the rocket," Brain said, diving behind the bush.

"5…." shouted Binky.

"I am filming it," Buster said, pointing towards the rocket.

"4…." he continued.

Brain realized what Buster was pointing at. His jaw dropped in horror. It turned out the squirrel was making it's way over toward the rocket. It wasn't walking, it was sprinting towards it.

"3..."

Brain stood up and waved his arms frantically, but the squirrel didn't notice. By now, it was sitting right next to the rocket.

"2…."

He shouted at the top of his lungs. He tried everything to get the squirrel away from his rocket. The things that happened next all occurred in one split second.

"1…."

Arthur yanked Brain's arm and he fell on the ground with a thud. The fuse spewed one big spark before it reached the rocket. That one spark startled the squirrel. It jumped at least a foot in the air. When it touched down again, it shot off towards the nearest tree. The squirrel took off with so much force that it kicked the base of the stand the rocket was resting on, causing it to tip over.

"NOOOOOO," they all cried. Right before the rocket hit the ground, the engines ignited and spewed flames. The rocket shot off over the fence and down the street so fast, no one ever saw where it went. The only indicator of the direction the rocket travelled was a smoke trail that hung in the air. The boys quickly stood up and ran to the street to see where the rocket was going.

"Oh no," Arthur cried out, "It's headed towards the Crosswires' house." The Crosswires lived in a large mansion on the outskirts of Elwood City. They lived a wealthy life, but weren't actually as rich as people thought they were. The father was a used car salesman and no one actually knew what the mother did. Regardless of their wealth, they managed to afford the enormous mansion and all the perks that came with it. One of the unknown perks that they were about to discover is that it was a huge target.

The gang covered their eyes, unable to bear the horror that was about to unfold. ***CRASH***

Even though the mansion was a few miles away, the boys could still hear the sound of the rocket streaking through the front window of the estate.

"Should we go down and get it," Buster asked.

"Are you crazy," Arthur exclaimed, "If they find out it was us, we'll be in big trouble."

"Not just with the Crosswires," Brain explained, "But with the police too."

"What are you talking about," Binky asked Brain, "What do you mean police?"

"Well," Brain started, "It isn't exactly legal to fly a rocket through United States airspace without the proper license."

"So, you're saying that if we get caught," Buster deducted, "Then we will go to jail?"

Brain nodded his head solemnly.

"Well, let's hope they won't figure out it was us who launched that rocket," Arthur said.


	2. On the Run

A few minutes later, the Crosswires were standing on the front lawn of their estate, watching the fire crew put out the blaze that was their house. Mr. Crosswire, dressed in his usual light blue car salesman attire with a pink undershirt and perfectly combed orange hair that blended well with his yellow skin, stood firm with his arms around his wife and his daughter, Muffy, while their butler, Bailey, stood off to the side on alert, scanning the treeline around the estate for more possible attackers. "Oh daddy," wailed Muffy, "What do you think caused that?" Her face was like that of her fathers, with her nose and mouth more out in front of her face and similar yellow skin. She was dressed in her normal clothes, a purple dress with a white undershirt and her hair in twin, braided ponytails.

"I don't know, Muffin," (his special name for her). "It seemed that it was some kind of rocket."

"A rocket," she exclaimed. "But, where would a rocket even come…" Before she could finish, there was a splintering crash as the rocket blasted up through the roof and streaked higher into the air.

A couple blocks away, Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Brain watched through binoculars as the rocket blasted through the burning structure. "There it goes," cried Binky. "It's still climbing. Do you think it'll reach the atmosphere?" he asked, turning to Brain.

"Nope, that would be impossible," Brain sadly stated. "With the amount of fuel it burned up crashing through the mansion, there's not a chance it could still make it. There's also another problem. If my calculations are correct, with the amount of time it's been going, it should be ready to go into Stage 2."

Buster threw himself onto his knees. "NO! NOT STAGE 2! ANYTHING BUT STAGE 2! What's Stage 2?"

"Stage 2," Brain inputted, "is when the rocket breaks into two separate pieces. The bottom half falls back to Earth, while the top half keeps going."

"Binky," Arthur asked. "Where did you attach Uncle Slam again?"

"I think it was in between the bottom and the top," Binky admitted. He then turned as they all watched the rocket continue to climb. After about 30 seconds, the fire from the bottom of the rocket died out. There was a loud boom, as the rocket separated. As the bottom half began to fall, the four friends focused on the top.

"Why isn't the rocket firing," Buster asked, as the top continued to plummet.

"There must have been a malfunction," Brain said. "However, there is still hope. Since the rocket didn't fire, that should activate the failsafe protocol, launching the parachutes for safe reentry. At least, that's the plan." He crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. And sure enough, there was another BANG and the parachutes popped out. "ALRIGHT," he cheered out, as he watched it slowly descend…, away from them.

"It looks like it's going towards the treehouse," Buster said.

"CATCH THAT SHIP," Binky yelled, as he barrelled out of the yard after it. The others tossed down their binoculars and ran after him.

Meanwhile, at the Crosswire Estate...

"DADDY! DADDY! LOOK," Muffy exclaimed. "IT'S FALLING. IF WE GET IT, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT WHO LAUNCHED IT!" She looked up at him for a response, but he wasn't paying attention. He was too busy trying to convince the fire department to upgrade their trucks with "more reliable" ones at Crosswire Motors, the enterprize he owned. It apparently was the best place for cars, possibly the only place, in Elwood City. "Hmph. Fine then," she mumbled, stomping her heel on the ground, "I'll just go get it myself. BAILEY!"

The dog-like butler rushed to her side, an impressive feat in a full suit and leather dress shoes. He stood at the same height as the girl's father; at least a foot taller than Muffy. Even though he appeared to be around 50 years old, he moved well for his age, considering he was actually only 37. "Yes, miss Muffy?"

"Get the limo," she ordered. "We have a rocket to catch." With a bow of his head, he rushed off and arrived back with the limo in less than 15 seconds. She climbed into the back and they sped out of the driveway. Muffy was constantly telling Bailey to go faster. She didn't care about the laws they were possibly breaking. She didn't care. She had to get that rocket fast. Besides, her father could always persuade the authorities.

A couple of streets over, the four boys were still running. "The treehouse is just around corner," Buster panted. "I hope no one else is also going for the rocket. Otherwise, we could be in big trouble guys."

Arthur looked over his shoulder. "Like them," he asked. All four of them looked back.

"CROSSWIRE," Binky yelled. At that moment, all four of them dove into the bushes on the side of the road and stayed very quiet. A moment later, they heard the car approach and stop. Brain carefully peeked through the branches. Bailey, the driver, was looking around. He saw the bushes move, but before he could get a better look, there came a yell from the back.

"BAILEY!? WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE HAVE TO CATCH THAT ROCKET! NOW GO, GO GO!" Muffy yelled. Bailey didn't even hesitate. He slammed down on the acceleration and they sped off.

Arthur waited a second before poking his head out of the shrubs. "Did you hear that?" He looked to his left, where Binky and Buster popped up, then to his right, where Brain emerged.

"They're going for the rocket too," Binky said.

"We have to get there first," Brain stated. "The last thing we would want is for it to fall into her hands." With that said, he jumped out of the bushes and ran towards the treehouse. The others followed suit, and it didn't take long for Binky to catch up.

"Follow me," he said. "I know a shortcut." Brain nodded to him and Binky took the lead. He quickly passed and started running off the sidewalk into the woods. Brain followed, but Buster and Arthur kept running down the paved path.

"Don't worry about us," Arthur called. "We have a plan."

"Yeah," Buster wheezed as he shouted, his asthma starting to kick in "We'll slow down the limo." They continued to run cut through the soccer field. Because the limo had to go all the way around, when they emerged from the other side, the limo was just coming down the road. "Ready?"

"Ready," Arthur nodded. They then started jumping up and down, frantically waving their arms, shouting out to the oncoming vehicle. "HEY! HEY! WAIT! STOP!," they both continued to shout. But, the vehicle had no intention of slowing down. It zoomed right past the two, causing them to get spun round and round. After five seconds of constant spinning, Arthur slowed down as Buster collapsed onto the pavement.

"U-u-gh," he moaned. "Let's hope this was worth it."

Elsewhere, Binky and Brain finally finished getting through the dense forest and were into a more clear area, where the trees were more spaced out. "Look," Binky shouted. "There's the treehouse."

"And there's the rocket," Brain added. The bottom cylinder laid peacefully on top of a bush. "I can't believe we made it here first. Maybe was Arthur and Buster did actually worked." He slowed his pace a little, but immediately picked back up as he saw the sleek black limo with a big, yellow "C" plastered on the frame. "Oh no," he cried. "They're going to get there first!"

"Brain," Binky shouted. "Grab my hands." He didn't hesitate and grabbed on right as Binky started to spin around. He was going to throw Brain like a human discus. With a grunt, the boy let go and launched the genius through the air. Brain was going to yell, but didn't on account of the possibility of being spotted. So, instead, he screamed inside his head as he crashed into the bush holding his rocket. He grabbed it and cradled it tightly. However, the bush did close to nothing to cushion his fall. He crashed right down to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could regain his bearings, something large landed on top of him, crushing him deeper into the bush, which he had now found out was a briar bush. It was only when he saw an orange shirt that he knew it was Binky that landed on him.

"Binky, get off of…" Brain started, but was immediately shushed. Before he could say anything else, he heard the telltale footsteps of leather footwear. He held his breath as her looked to his right through the bottom of the bush. The feet walked past, but then stopped and came back and stayed in front of his face for what seemed like an eternity. But, they eventually, moved on.

They then heard the telltale voice of Muffy. "Did you find it, Bailey?" She let out a huge sigh, which must have meant the butler shook his head no. "Oh well," she moped. "Thanks for trying." Just then, her cell phone rang. "Hello? Oh, hi Francine. What? I can't hear you," she said climbing into the back of the limo. Brain then heard her door close. He tried to get up, but Binky didn't budge until they heard the limo drive away.

"Get off me," he finally grunted, as he tried to push Binky off of him.

"Of all places," Binky said, "it had to land in a briar bush. And, of course, we have to hide in that briar bush."

"Hey, that's not as bad as being thrown into a briar bush and then getting crushed deeper into it," Brain groaned.

"Oh. You're right," Binky said, helping his friend out. "That's much worse." They both dusted themselves off. At that moment, Arthur and Buster arrived, Buster being half carried by Arthur as he wheezed and took a puff from his inhaler.

"Thanks for the distraction guys," Brain said as he high fived his friends.

"Does that mean you have it?" Arthur asked. In response, Brain held up the deformed tip that was his rocket. The sides of it seemed to have been blasted by fire, most likely from the other Stage. Binky grabbed from him and turned it in his hands until he found what he was looking for. A look of sadness and confusion crossed his face.

Buster read his expression. "How's Uncle Slam," he asked. He looked over Binky's shoulder to see for himself. The bottom half of the action figure was completely gone and what was left of him was completely drained of color and replaced with an inky black soot. The face of the wrestler was partly melted, but he was all still in one piece, minus the legs.

"Actually turned out better than I thought he'd be," Binky said with a smile. "I still wish he could have seen the stars though."

"Yeah," Arthur agreed. "It would have been so cool to see that."

"Why can't it," Brain questioned, looking over at the group.

"What do you mean," Buster asked.

"I'm saying we build another rocket," Brain said. "A better one."

"We can do that," Binky said, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Sure," Brain said. "We just need the supplies to make the rocket itself. I already have the fuel supplies at my house. Let's do it!"

"Yeah," Arthur shouted. "Let's do it! We're not going to let anything stop us"

Buster held his hand out. "All for one," he started, as everyone put their hand on his. "And one for all," they cried out in unison.

They stood there for a moment, looking around and at each other. "So, now what," Binky said, breaking the silence.

"Now, we need supplies," Brain stated. "The best supplies is simple arts and craft supplies. We can get them at the store. How much money does everyone have?" Everyone dug into their pockets and pulled out the contents.

"I have $5," Arthur started.

"I have 25 cents," Binky added.

"I have an old tomato and a paperclip," finished Buster, as he took a bite out of the apple. That would have grossed out everyone else, except for his friends because they knew he would eat anything and everything. They've seen him eat way worse, so this was normal.

"Hmmm," Brain mumbled. "There has to be some place we can get the supplies we need at a very low rate. Do we know anyone that has lots of art supplies?"

All four of the boys thought for a moment, until a lightbulb went on in Arthur's head. "I know," he exclaimed. "How about Sue Ellen?"

"Sue Ellen," Binky asked.

"Yeah," Arthur said. "She's artsy. Probably the best artist in our class. Plus, she'll do anything for Buster."

"Wait, what," Buster said, a little red appearing in his cheeks.

"Are you serious, Buster," laughed Binky. "How could you not know? She's always looking at you in class and at lunch."

This made Buster blush even more, but before he could say anything else, Brain was already walking. "It's settled then," he said. "Let's get going."

Elsewhere, in Muffy's limo...

"Are you serious, Francine," she exclaimed into her phone.

"Yeah," her friend answered. "I was up on the roof, playing my drums. All of a sudden, this rocket-type thing came falling from the sky. It almost broke them."

"Francine, don't let that thing out of your sight. I'll be there in a few minutes," Muffy ordered, as she hung up the phone. "Bailey! To Francine's place!"

While all this was going on, Arthur and his friends arrived outside of Sue Ellen's house. It was a more spacious house than the others in Elwood city. It was a mixture of a barn and a house, with concrete walls and a red, slanted roof. There were plants growing all over, in flower pots and up the side of the walls. "This is the place," Brain said. Buster gulped.

"Don't worry, Buster," Arthur said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "It's going to be fine. You may like it here more than you'd think." Before Buster could get a word in, they were all pushing him up the walk.

"All we need you to do is to keep Sue Ellen busy," Brain said. "The future of the mission depends on secrecy. If too many people find out, word could leak to Muffy, revealing our location, jeopardizing the mission, and who knows what then."

"Alright alright, I'll do it," Buster stated, then looked down at his shoes. "But, it's only for the good of the mission." He took in a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Ding-dong. A few seconds passed before the door was opened. Standing on the other side of the door was Sue Ellen Armstrong. She was dressed in her normal clothing. She wore a sky blue dress that came down to her knees, covered by a white, sleeveless vest that she didn't bother to button up. Her hair was split into two buns on either side of her head that were held down by twin green bands, which matched the green socks on her feet. Her face resembled that of a cat with every feature appearing almost human, minus her pink, triangular nose.

She smiled when she saw the group. "Hey guys," she said. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much," Arthur said, fidgeting with his glasses, something he did when he was nervous or lying.

She then turned to Buster. "Hi Buster," she said with a shy smile on her face.

"Hey Sue Ellen," he replied with a similar look on his face. "Is it alright if we come in?" He looked down and kicked some dirt as he asked. "We need some help with an…. Art project."

"Yeah," Brain interjected. "We know that you are the most artistic person in our class and we were hoping that we could use some of your craft supplies for a project of ours. We're kinda low on funds."

"Sure thing," she replied with a smile. "Come on in." They all thanked her as they walked inside. While she was closing the door, Binky leaned over to Buster.

"Alright, Baxter," he whispered putting his arm around Buster's shoulder, "it's time for you to do your thing."

"But, I don't know…" he started, but was never able to finish as Binky gave him a forceful shove towards the girl. He stumbled and fell to the ground right at her feet. She jumped back, startled, but then gave a small giggle, as she helped him up.

"Are you ok," she asked, dusting off his back.

"Oh yeah, I'm all good," he replied. "Happens all the time." She giggled again. They stared at each other for a moment. It was at that time when Buster actually realized how strikingly pretty this girl was. He had always been in the mindset when he was around others that she was just one of the gross four-lettered word species from another galaxy. But, now that it was just the two of them, that mindset disappeared. "Sooooo…," he began, "...you want to give me the grand tour?"

She smiled and noddded. "I'd love to show you. Although it may not be as grand as you'd think." She led the way down the hallway, pointing out paintings and relics her parents collected from their trips around the world. As Buster followed, he gave a thumbs-up to the others and they ran up the stairs to find her craft supplies.

Needless to say, it wasn't hard to find. Her entire room was basically an art studio. There were canvases on the walls, floor, and easels, with stunning paintings of landscapes, animals, and people. But, they didn't have the time to marvel at these works of art. They were on a mission. They wasted no time in finding her crafts bin and rifling through the contents. Bin was a loose term. This crate was about the size of a bathtub, overflowing with all kinds of miscellaneous crafts.

"I found the body of the rocket," Brain exclaimed, holding of a PVC tube.

"I got the top," Binky said, showing off the inside of a lamp shade he found. "We can cover it with this construction paper."

"And I've got the parachutes…" he said, holding of fabric from an old canvas and some metal triangles, "...and the fins."

"I think we have most of what we need," Brain concluded. "I can make the engines and cover these materials with a space polymer I created at my house. It makes it so all the pieces can't be burned or frozen in it's trip to space."

"ALRIGHT," Binky cheered, but then stopped. "Wait a minute. Shouldn't we not stay in one place for that long?"

"Binky's right," Arthur said. "It's too risky. We need to go somewhere else to begin assembly."

"Good idea," Brain said. "Let's go get Buster and then plan our next move from there."

While they were all searching, Buster was on his tour. Sue Ellen pointed out every single thing they passed, each one having a meaningful story behind it. They soon reached the last part of the last hall. At the end hung one African mask. It was a mostly a charcoal black, except for an occasional red spatter on the sides. Around one of the eye holes was a mark in navy blue that seemingly looked like the mask was cut and then reattached. The expression on it was a look of anger, like it was stuck in a look of eternal rage. "This mask always gives me the shivers when I pass it," she began. "Like most masks, this one was most likely used to scare off invaders or worn to show dominance and power."

Buster was a little scared of the mask too, but he didn't want that to show. "It's not that scary," he said. "You can't scare me with masks. The only thing that could scare me was an alien invasion or the world being overrun by a giant potato."

She giggled yet again. "You're really funny Buster," she laughed. "But, I bet I can scare you, without any kind of worldly takeover."

"Oh yeah," he questioned. "Let's just see you try."

"Alright then," she smiled. "Follow me." She led him through the house until they were in front of a door that Buster guessed led to the basement, and it did. Sue Ellen opened the door, grabbed a flashlight from the shelf that was at the top of the stairs, and turned it on as she walked down into the darkness. Buster cautiously followed, each of the stairs creaking under his feet. He soon felt the solid ground of the floor and walked towards the flashlight. The light was illuminating Sue Ellen's face as she smiled back at him.

"Why don't you have any light switches down here," he asked. As if on cue, Sue Ellen reached up and grabbed a cord. When she pulled down on it, there was a click and he was instantly blinded by the fluorescent lights that came on overhead. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around. All around him were gruesome masks and totems, all looking like they would come to life and attack him at any second. He screamed and fell to the floor, frantically looking at all the items come to life and surround him. He was looking for an exit, but couldn't find one anywhere. He screamed and shut his eyes, waiting for his fate. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see what was going to eat him. But it was only Sue Ellen.

"I told you I could scare you," she said helping him up. He was still shaking, looking at all the things around him. Were they just alive or was it all in his head? As if she was reading his mind, Sue Ellen said, "Don't worry, Buster. There's nothing here that's going to hurt you." She put her arm around his waist and helped him towards one particular mask. It looked similar to the one upstairs except for one difference. Coming out from the top were rabbit ears. "This one has dual meanings to me," she started. "Like the other one, it shows the ferocity and fear of a warrior, but the ears show a more gentle, caring side. A funny side. A…. loving side."

"I never thought a mask could say so much," Buster said, calming down a bit. "You really know a lot Sue Ellen." They both walked back upstairs. Sue Ellen's arm was still around Buster, but he didn't mind. Frankly, he still needed help walking up the stairs. When they got to the top and back into the hall, they saw the guys. Sue Ellen immediately let her hand drop and he blushed, looking at the floor.

"We got what we needed," Arthur said. "Thanks Sue Ellen."

"Uhh, you're welcome," she said. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the craft you're doing?" Arthur, Binky, and Brain all exchanged glances with each other and then looked at Buster, who gave a simple nod of his head.

"Alright," Brain said. "We're actually building a rocket. We plan on launching it soon."

"Yeah," Buster said, turning to Sue Ellen. "Maybe you could come and watch it with us."

"You know," she said, "I'd love that. It sounds cool. Just let me know the details later."

"You got it," Buster said with a smile. "Thanks for the supplies and the tour. It was a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again."

"Yeah," she replied. "That would be great. I already can't wait." They both smiled at each other as she opened the door. "Bye guys," she said not taking her eyes off of Buster until he was out of her walkway.


	3. Staying Ahead

Francine Frensky was sitting on the roof of the apartment building, looking down at the people and cars driving by. She liked being up here. No one else ever came up here, not even her parents. It's the perfect place for her and her thoughts… and her drums. She loved playing her drums and singing whatever she wanted with no one to tell her no. Not the landlord, not her parents, not even her older sister, Catherine. It wasn't until she heard the sound of squealing tires that snapped her back into reality. She looked down as she saw a limo drift professionally around the corner and fish-tail it into a parking spot right in front of the building. Francine knew who was driving, but was still genuinely surprised when Bailey stepped out of the driver side. He walked around to the back door but it burst open before he could open it. Muffy hopped out and starting calling out. "FRANCINE! FRANCINE! WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE IS IT?"

"Up here, Muffy," she called back, waving the piece in the air. "It's right here."

"I'll be right up," Muffy shouted. "Stay there!" It didn't take long. Right through the lobby, a quick elevator trip to the top floor, and a set of stairs and she was on the roof. She looked over at her friend holding the top of the missile. Francine's skin was darker than that of Muffy, although the shape of their faces were quite similar. Francine was wearing her normal outfit; a red sweater, blue jeans, sneakers, and yellow barrettes in her hair. Personally, Muffy could upgrade her wardrobe in a variety of ways, but Francine always refused. Oh well. What are best friends for if they aren't able to accept the poor outfit choices of the other. "Can I see it?"

In response, Francine held up the piece. It wasn't the top of a missile like Muffy originally thought. "What is it," Muffy asked.

"It looks like the top of a rocket," Francine answered. "But that's not all." She then turned it over showing Muffy the set of legs attached to the rocket. "It looks like some legs from an action figure. But, what action figure?"

"I've got this," Muffy said pulling out her smartphone. "There's this setting on my phone where I can take a picture of something broken or incomplete and it recreates it. She then took a picture of the legs and her phone did the rest. In less than 10 seconds, the image was complete. "Who is that?"

"I think that's one of the wrestlers Binky likes." They both stopped and looked at each other. "BINKY!" they said in unison.

"But, hold on a sec," Francine said shaking her head. "There's no way Binky could make and launch this rocket. He must have had help." For the second time, the lightbulbs in both of their heads went on at the same time. "BRAIN!" they exclaimed.

"Of course," Muffy said, hitting her fist on her open palm. "It all makes sense. We have to find them."

"Great idea," Francine said. "That way, we can make them pay for what they did." She then turned to Bailey, who stood there silently the whole time. "Bailey, you check downtown, Muffy uptown, and I'll check the residential area."

"Good plan," Muffy replied. She then turned to her butler. "Bailey, my ride." They all went back down to the front door and Bailey walked out towards the back trunk of the automobile. When he opened it, he reached in and pulled out a small bicycle, streamers flowing from the handlebars, a luxurious, reclining seat. It looked like it was made for a princess, which it technically was. Francine's bike, on the other hand, was not so luxurious. Small, dented, slightly rusted, with a straw basket on the front. But, Francine didn't mind. It got her where she needed to go and fast. When they both had their helmet situated, they all parted ways, determined to bring Binky and Brain to justice.

Elsewhere…

"So, where are we going to go now," Binky asked. "I'm getting tired of carrying all this stuff."

"Well," Brain started, "we can't go back to my house. It's definitely not safe… yet. We're only going back there when the rocket is all constructed and all we need is the fuel and the coating. At that time, I'd only need about 10-15 minutes to get all prepped for launch."

"We should go to someone else's house," Buster proposed. "It worked really well at Sue Ellen's."

"He's right," Arthur added. "Whose house should we go to?"

"How about Mr Ratburn's," Binky asked. Brain looked at him, expecting Binky to start laughing like he was joking. But, when no joke came, Brain questioned,

"Wait. You were being serious?"

"Well, yeah," he responded. "No one would ever think to go there."

"Well, that true," Brain said scratching his head. "But, Ratburn might turn us in to the authorities if he finds out what we did of what we plan on doing. Flying a rocket into space isn't exactly legal for a third grader. Let's keep thinking."

Everyone pondered some more, until Brain got an idea. "How about Fern's place?"

Buster looked at him, his head cocked sideways. "Fern," he questioned.

"Yes," Brain stated. "It's perfect. She's shy, doesn't really talk to many people, and, vice versa, people don't really talk or pay that much attention to her. Plus, she's got a pretty big house."

"Well, that does sound like it could work," Arthur started, but then shook his head. "But, how will we know if Fern will even let us in?"

"It's a risk we're going to have to take," Brain answered. "Let's go." And with that, the gang headed off to their next location.

It didn't take long to get there. Most of the children in Elwood City lived relatively near each other. They were soon standing outside of Fern's house. It was a large, white house with wooden sidings,lots of windows, each one surrounded by a blue, wooden frame, a large paved driveway, and a cobblestone path that led from the end of the driveway all the way up to the front porch. The porch itself was quite small, the front of it guarded by a line of unkempt bushes and the only decoration on it was a two-person bench. The group all crowded on the porch in front of the door. They looked around at one another, none of them wanting to ring the doorbell. Finally, Brain pushed them aside and pressed it. Ding-dong. It didn't take long before the door opened a crack. A small face appeared in the small opening, the eyes darting to all the people that stood before her, until they settled on Brain. Then, the door opened all the way and there was Fern Walters standing on the other side. She was a shy girl, resembling a dog, with long, floppy ears and a small triangular nose. Her skin was a gray mixed with some purple. She was dressed like she normally was; a purple, buttoned up shirt with a yellow collar, dull yellow pants and dark brown shoes. On the top her head, she wore a red bow in her hair that rarely came out, not even when she slept. "Hey," she said quietly. "What are you guys doing here?" She was clearly blushing.

Before Brain could say anything, Binky shoved him aside and whispered to him, "I'll handle this." He then turned to Fern. She had to look up to see Binky eye-to-eye. "We're working on this project. We're making a rocket, but we kinda hit a roadblock. You see, we wanted to put some poetry on every piece of the rocket, so if it gets found by someone or something, they can appreciate some good poems. But, the problem is, none of us are good poets. That's where you come in. You're a great poet. We knew that you'd be the best person to help us."

Fern smiled. It was true. She loved poetry and she was always ready to help out friends in need. "Ok," she said, her voice full of confidence. "Come on inside. I'll show you some of my work and you can pick out what you want." They all thanked her and walked inside. When she gestured for them to follow her to her room, everyone hesitated. Finally, Brain broke the silence.

"I'll go," he said trying to push past everyone, but he was stopped.

"No," Binky said firmly. "I'll go." He then turned and faced Brain. "You make that rocket ready to fly. It's my turn to take one for the team." And with that, he turned and lumbered up the stairs. The others waited a moment and ducked into the other room and got right to work.

When Binky arrived at the top of the spiral stairs, he looked down the hall and saw only one door opened. He cautiously pushed it open and peeked inside. It was Fern's room. It wasn't much different than his room. A large bed, an opened window, and shelves for his stuff. There was also random sheets of paper and books scattered on the floor, reminding him even more of his room. The only main difference was the large desk on the right wall. That's where Fern was, most likely writing out another one of her detective stories. He didn't feel like bothering her yet, so he turned to the bookshelf to his immediate right and pulled out a book. Reading the cover aloud, he said, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish." Fern turned around on her swivel chair.

"Good job, Binky," she said with a smile. "I didn't know you could read so poetically." She laughed and went back to writing.

"Hey," Binky said, a touch on anger in his voice. "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid." He put the book back and walked over to her desk. Looking over her shoulder, he asked, "Whatcha working on?"

"The latest caper of brilliant detective Virgule Watteau," she answered with a sparkle in her eye. Watteau was a French character she created that had a striking resemblance to Fern, who had a partner that resembled George Lundgren, a moose boy in their class. "You want to read it?," she asked holding it out to Binky.

"You bet," he replied, eagerly reaching out to grab it, but stopped himself. "Actually," he said, before he looked down and grabbed a book of the floor with different pictures and descriptions, "I'll read the bios on each of the characters first."

"Alright," Fern said, spinning back around to get back to work. "I'm genuinely surprised you guys came to me, Binky," she continued. "I mean, don't you really like poetry too?"

"Yeah, I do," Binky replied, "but, not as much as you. If anyone would be helpful to us, it would be you."

She blushed at the compliment. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," Binky said, and then turned back to the book he was holding. He read the first thing he saw, "The Grey Dove?" This perked Fern's interest as she turned around and faced Binky as he kept reading. "A villainous, mastermind that was always one step of Watteau, always making off with the rarest treasures…. and Watteau's heart?" He looked further down the page where there was a picture attached. It looked just like him in a cape, top hat, and a monocle. When he looked over at Fern, she was already out of her chair, diving at him. He was taken aback, thinking she was jumping into his arms, and was surprised again when she snatched the book out of his hands, slamming it shut.

"DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF PRIVACY," she yelled. Yet again, this shocked Binky. He had never heard Fern yell before. No one had.

"Uh…. umm," was all he could say.

"THIS DIARY IS SECRET," she continued to exclaim. "HOW COULD YOU GO AND READ SOMETHING LIKE THAT?" She stopped to let it sink in, before taking a big sigh. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave." And with that, she was pushing Binky down the hallway and down the stairs.

When they heard the yelling from upstairs, Arthur, Buster and Brain all stopped what they were doing to listen in. It wasn't long before the yelling stopped and they heard someone coming down the stairs. They picked up and hid their project and went to see, and were all shocked to see Binky being pushed by Fern. "Uh, hey guys," Binky said. "I think we have to go."

"What," Brain exclaimed, "But, we aren't finished yet."

Fern looked over at the group of three. "I'm really sorry, but you guys can't be here anymore. Not after what Binky did." She then gave up pushing just Binky and instead went on to prod them all out the front door. Before they could say another word, they were on the front porch and with one final shove, Buster fell off the steps into the grass and Fern slammed the door. Brain could clearly hear her crying on the other side of the door, but he didn't do anything, except turn and help Buster up.

"Thanks," the rabbit said, dusting off his knees. "What just happened," he said gesturing back to Fern's house.

"I don't know," Arthur answered. "Why don't we ask Binky?" They all simultaneously turned to him.

"Hey, it's not my fault," he started. "I told her I was reading a book and she said it was alright. How was I supposed to know it was her diary?"

"Maybe it said "Diary" on the front," Brain asked.

"Nope," Binky said, shaking his head. "It didn't say that."

"Well, whatever happened," Arthur said, breaking them up, "we only got halfway done. We have to go somewhere else to finish it."

"Ratburn's house," Buster suggested.

"No," Brain said. They couldn't go to the house of their 3rd grade teacher. "Not Ratburn's house. Why does everyone want to go there?" No response came because everyone was trying to think of somewhere else. After a solid two minutes, no one had thought of anywhere else.

"Well, it looks like we're going to Ratburn's after all," Binky said. Brain solemnly nodded and they started down the street. Fern peeked out of one of the windows, watching the group depart. She gave a sigh, wiped her eyes, and opened the diary to the page was looking at. Thankfully, Binky didn't see that the picture of him was only covering up another picture. The real thief to her heart, Brain.

Francine peddled hard and fast down the sidewalk, not bothering to say "excuse me" as she blew by countless numbers of people. She didn't care. She had a person she had to see. After a few more minutes of pedaling, she skidded to a stop in front of a house. Sue Ellen's house to be exact. She had to get some information and this was the best place to start. Sue Ellen knew close to everything going on around Elwood City. If anyone would know where to find Brain and Binky, it was her. She marched up the front walk and rang the doorbell. When no one came, she rang it again. "Come on, come on, where is she," Francine muttered with her arms crossed, tapping her foot furiously. Just after the third ring, the door was opened by Sue Ellen.

"I had a feeling it was you, Francine," she said, and then smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm kinda in a rush," she said. "Have you seen Brain or Binky today?"

"Well, yeah. Why," she asked.

Francine continued to pepper her with questions. "When did you see them? What were they doing? Where are they going next?"

"Uh… they didn't say where they were going next," she started, "I saw them a little over an hour ago, and they were making some kind of rocket ship?" Francine stopped asking questions and just stared wide-eyed back at the cat-girl.

"What did you say," she asked slowly. "The last part."

"That… they were building a rocket ship," she replied with a question. "Why? What's going on?"

Thanks, Sue Ellen," she said and immediately tore down the front walk and hopped back on her bike. She then continued to pedal up the streets as fast as she could.


	4. The Plot Thickens

Francine peddled hard and fast down the sidewalk, not bothering to say "excuse me" as she blew by countless numbers of people. She didn't care. She had a person she had to see. After a few more minutes of pedaling, she skidded to a stop in front of a house. Sue Ellen's house to be exact. She had to get some information and this was the best place to start. Sue Ellen knew close to everything going on around Elwood City. If anyone would know where to find Brain and Binky, it was her. She marched up the front walk and rang the doorbell. When no one came, she rang it again. "Come on, come on, where is she," Francine muttered with her arms crossed, tapping her foot furiously. Just after the third ring, the door was opened by Sue Ellen.

"I had a feeling it was you, Francine," she said, and then smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm kinda in a rush," she said. "Have you seen Brain or Binky today?"

"Well, yeah. Why," she asked.

Francine continued to pepper her with questions. "When did you see them? What were they doing? Where are they going next?"

"Uh… they didn't say where they were going next," she started, "I saw them a little over an hour ago, and they were making some kind of rocket ship?" Francine stopped asking questions and just stared wide-eyed back at the cat-girl.

"What did you say," she asked slowly. "The last part."

"That… they were building a rocket ship," she replied with a question. "Why? What's going on?"

Thanks, Sue Ellen," she said and immediately tore down the front walk and hopped back on her bike. She then continued to pedal up the streets as fast as she could.

The troop was walking down the sidewalk, heading to Ratburn's house. "I still think this is a bad idea," Brain said. "What if he find out what we did? We'll be arrested for sure. And how do we even know he'll help us?"

Buster suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "WAIT! I'VE GOT IT," he exclaimed. "What about Ladonna?"

Ladonna Compson was new to their town, but she became very fast friends with Buster, and more so with Arthur. "Why her," Arthur couldn't help but ask.

"Why not," Buster asked back. "She's nice to us, her house isn't that far away from Brain's, and she'll do anything for you, Arthur."

"What," Arthur exclaimed. "No she wouldn't… would she?"

"It's settled then," Brain interrupted. "Ladonna's it is. Let's get a move on, though. We're running out of time. Someone is bound to be onto us by now."

As if on cue, Binky looked down the street and saw a bike start to round the corner. "HIDE," he yelled. Everyone turned and looked, but there were no bushes this time. The only thing they could hide behind was if they went through a picket fence. Thankfully, there was a loose board at the base of one of the pickets. Binky quickly shoved it aside as Brain, Arthur, and Buster squeezed through. When they were clear, he lunged through, but got stuck halfway through. His waist was too big! "HELP," he cried out to the others running away. They turned around and immediately rushed back. They grabbed his arms and tried to pull him through, but he barely moved. They heard the *click click* sound of the bike getting closer. In 10 seconds, it'd be too late for Binky.

They continued to pull, but nothing changed. Then Brain had an idea. "Suck in, Binky," he said. When he did, they gave one last, big tug and he flew through the fence. It thudded back into place just in time. They all laid there, catching their breath, when they heard they squeaking of brakes and the burning of rubber on the sidewalk. Only one person could have that much ferocity and skill on a bike; Francine Frensky. They all held their breath as they heard her climb off of their bike.

"I could have sworn that I saw something," she mumbled to herself. Just then, her pocket vibrated. She was getting a phone call. She pulled out the phone and read the caller I.D. Call from Muffy illuminated the screen. "Hey Muffy," she answered. "What's up? Did you find anything?"

"No," she replied with a sigh. "I looked all over the top of town and didn't find anything. Did you?"

"As a matter of fact I did," she replied with a sense of urgency in her voice. She trembled as the next words came out. "Muffy. They're building another one. I repeat. They're building another rocket."

"What," she exclaimed. "But, that's impossible. Why would they want to do it again?"

"I don't know, but I still have some places to check out," Francine interrupted. "I'll call you if I find anything else, but I'd suggest you start making your way here."

"I'm on my way now," Muffy replied and hung up. Francine slipped the phone in her pocket, gave one last look at the fence and pedalled away.

They all waited for the sound of silence before they finally took a sigh of relief. They all laid there for a minute, thinking about what they had just overheard. After the brief moment of silence, Binky got to his feet and started to walk away.

"Where are you going," Arthur said, sitting up.

"You heard Francine," he responded. "They're onto us. We need to be one step ahead. We have to keep moving."

"He's right," Buster said, getting to his feet. "We have to get to Ladonna's fast!" Arthur and Brain both nodded, got up, followed Binky and Buster as they ran off through the yard. But, they didn't make their way back to the streets. They wanted to stay under the radar and not take any chances of being spotted by a passing car. They jumped more fences and crashed through more brush, until the arrived the the Compson home. They walked around the front of the simple, rectangular house. There was a single oak tree in the front yard and a few windows on each of the two floors. The house had a single door right in the center of the wall. It seemed to split the house perfectly in half. They quickly ran up to the door and Binky wasted no time. He pounded hard on the door three times, THUD THUD THUD! They didn't have to wait long enough to knock again as Ladonna opened the door in her normal, cheery attitude. "Hey guys! What'ch y'all doin' over here?" Her Louisiana accent was very thick as she spoke. She was dressed in her normal, green sweater and jeans, even though it was the middle of summer. She had stringy, red hair with rabbit ears poking out through it. Her face was like Buster's, except her skin was a tan color instead of white.

"Hey Ladonna," Arthur said, stepping in front of the group. "We're really sorry to intrude, but is it ok if we lay low here for a while? It's really important."

"Uh, sure," she replied, scratching her head. "Come on in." They all walked silently inside. She closed the door before asking her next question. "Soo.. what kind of stuff is goin' on?"

They all looked at each other and knew they couldn't keep this secret from her. "We're doing a top secret experiment," Brain said. "It's really crucial that no one else finds out about it." As he explained, Binky pulled the half of the rocket out from behind his back. Ladonna gasped at the sight of it. "We need a place to lay low and finish this."

"Well, sure thing guys," she said with a smile. "My home is your home. Do what'cha gotta do." They all thanked her and went to work, except for Arthur. He stayed next to Ladonna. She looked over at him.

"So, this rocket," she started, "is it a model er what?"

"No," Arthur said. "It's much bigger than that." He continued to explain what had happened earlier and what they were planning to do. All the while, they all failed to notice the tin can hanging down by the stairwell.

At the top of the stairs, Bud Compson was holding another tin can to his ear as it was attached to the one hanging below by a string. He wiped the sweat off his brow and he continued to spy on his older sister. Bud was 4 ½ years younger than his 9 year old sister, same as D.W, who was speaking into the Bionic Bunny walkie-talkie Bud was holding in his other hand. "What's going on, Agent Compson," she asked. She was back in her room, four houses down the street.

"Not a whole lot," he whispered back. He had the same accent as his sister, making it hard for D.W. to understand at times. But, she made the best of it. "They're goin' on an on 'bout some kinda rocket. Wait! Yer brother's talking about them launching a rocket inta the Crosswire's house. And they're making another one!"

"Now, that's what I like to hear, Agent Compson," D.W. said, giving a fist pump. "Get closer and get more information." This is just the kind of information I need to get Arthur in major trouble, she thought to herself.

"Will do," he answered, as he moved his can system more towards Buster, Binky, and Brain, who were all working hard on the rocket. He carefully positioned it right on the outside of the group. It would have worked had Buster not sneezed. He reared his head back to sneeze and as he did, his head hit the can.

"Huh," he said, looking up at the can. He grabbed it and grabbed a pair of scissors from Binky and cut the string it was attached to. He then carried out his sneeze and went back to work.

A few blocks away, Francine was continuing her investigation. "Where's the last place they'd expect me to look," she thought to herself. She looked to her left at the houses she was biking past, then to her right. Then, she skidded to a halt. She caught her breath as she had been pedaling for 15 straight minutes. She took off her helmet and turned her attention to the house she stopped in front of. "Of course," she thought. "Why didn't I think of it before? They would never suspect me to look here." She marched up the front drive and knocked hastily on the door. The person who opened the door was exactly who she expected; Fern.

"Um, hey Francine," she said sheepishly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was actually coming to look for you," she answered. Fern let her in and Francine walked into the house. She followed Fern up to her room.

"So, what is it you wanted," Fern asked Francine. She picked up one of her drafts off the floor, looked it over, before pitching it into the waste basket next to her desk.

"I'm going to cut right to the chase," Francine answered. "Have Binky and Brain been here today?" This caused Fern to break the led off the pencil she was writing with. "AH HA," she exclaimed. "I KNEW IT! Spill it!"

This shocked Fern back into her chair and she almost fell out of it. She regained her composure before she began to answer Francine's questions. But, every time she was about to answer one, Francine just launched a new one. "Uh.. well, they were… no, they.. Uh.. STOP," she yelled out at last. "If you want the answers to the questions, let me answer them please." Francine then took a breath and started asking her questions again, one at a time.

"When did you last see them?"

"Uh.. about an hour ago."

"Did they say where they were going next?"

"No."

"What did they do when they were here?"

"I'm… not sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I was upstairs the whole time with Binky."

"What were you doing?"

"Uh… showing him some poetry, but I kicked them out?"

"Why?"

"I.. can't say."

"Why not?"

"I can't say."

"Tell me."

"I… can't, but I can show you."

"Great. Then show me." The next thing Francine knew, she was being tossed out onto the curb. She turned around just as Fern slammed the door closed. "She's definitely hiding something." She climbed back on her bike, but pulled out her phone before she went any further. She hit speed dial 3, Muffy. It only rang twice before she picked up.

"Find out anything else," she asked.

"I just talked to Fern and she didn't really give much information."

"Sue Ellen and now Fern. Why would they be talking to those people," she asked.

"I don't know," Francine admitted. "I mean, it's not like they're friends of either Binky or Brain. The only person could be friends with both of them would be…" She stopped and gasped and Muffy did the same on the other end. They both said the one name at the same time. "ARTHUR!"

"And if Arthur is involved, that must mean Buster is in on it too," Muffy said, piecing the puzzle together.

"So, now there's four of them," Francine asked. "This is getting out of control. We have to stop them."

"Agreed, but where would they be," Muffy asked.

"Well, I still have some houses in this area to check," Francine replied.

"And I'm right by Arthur's house," Muffy inputted. "I'll check there first."

"Alright," Francine said. "Call me if you find anything else out."

"You got it," Muffy said, and the line went dead. Francine hung up the phone, tucked it into her jeans and rode off.

Back at the Compson home, everyone was keeping themselves calm and focused on the task in front of them. The four guys were all finishing the rocket and Ladonna was sitting by the window, watching the streets for any suspicious activity. Upstairs, however, Bud was busy quietly panicking into the walkie-talkie. "I lost it, D.W," he harshly whispered. "I lost my feed. I don't know what's happenin'! What do we do? WHAT DO WE DOOO?!"

"Bud, calm down," D.W. ordered. She wished she was there to give him a slap on the head to get him to calm down. Instead, she had to settle for this. "We got most of what we needed. We no longer need that can contraption. Head downstairs undercover and report back to me when you get a visual of the rocket." She let go of the receiver and looked out the window. A bike rode up the street in front of the house and stopped. The only person who could have such a glamorous bike would have to be rich. She picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the SPEAK button, cutting off the sound of Bud panicking. "AGENT COMPSON," she yelled. That got him to stop. "Muffy just arrived here, so I'll have to deal with her. You, go undercover and get that information."

He sniffled. "Roger that. I'm goin' in." And with that, the line went dead. She put down her walkie-talkie and headed downstairs. Just as she got to the bottom of the spiral stairs, the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath, let it out, and opened the door. Muffy was standing there, her arms crossed. She did not look happy.

"Hey D.W.," started, looking around her into the house. "Is Arthur here?"

D.W. stepped to block her view. "Nope, he's not. Why? Is he in trouble?"

"Uh, no," she answered trying to look around the smaller child. "I was just wondering if he was here. I kind of wanted to talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

"Nope, not a clue," she answered with a smile.

"You sure," she asked doubtfully.

"Positive," she answered with another smile.

"D.W, is there something you're not telling me," she asked.

"Nope," she said cheerfully again.

"She's definitely hiding something," Muffy thought. "D.W., have you heard about anything happening today?"

"Not a thing," she answered. "Now, since there's nothing else I can do for you, it's time for you to leave." She gave Muffy a small shove and closed the door on her face. Muffy stared at the door in disbelief, and then heard it lock, which meant this conversation was over. She huffed and stomped back to her bike. "What a waste of time," she grumbled as she climbed on her bike. She fastened her helmet and pulled out her smartphone. She dialed Francine's number and drummed her fingers on the handlebars. The third ring, Francine picked up.

"H-hello," she sounded out of breath when she said it. "You kinda stopped me on my way to Arthur's."

"Don't bother," Muffy sighed. "It's a dead end. They aren't there and D.W. isn't talking."

"Rats," Francine exclaimed. "Well, where does that leave us then?"

"No where closer than when we started," Muffy grumbled. "What do we know?"

"We know that they aren't in the residential area, that Fern, D.W., and Sue Ellen are all in on it, and they aren't at Binky's, Brain's, or Arthur's, which means they probably aren't at Buster's," Francine said counting out the things on her fingers.

"Not to mention I'm going to get terrible blisters if I pedal anymore," Muffy moaned. "Where else is there to search?"

"They've got to be here in Elwood City somewhere, but the question is, where," Francine asked.

"Well, we know that they've been using people to get to their goal. Fern could have been persuaded by Brain or Binky, Sue Ellen… didn't she like Buster," Muffy pondered

"That's right," Francine said, snapping her fingers. "So that must mean they're probably going to use someone else. Someone Arthur could get to do what they needed." She stopped and Muffy knew why. They knew where they had to go. "Muffy! Get Bailey over to Ladonna's house, fast. We'll hopefully be able to catch them there."

"I already sent the message," she replied. "Francine, I think we've got them."


	5. This is not the end

"It's finished," Brain exclaimed, standing over the new rocket. It was just as tall as the other one, only this one was more colorful because it was made up of a variety of different pieces. But, even so, it was built to make it to space. The others all stood up around it. Binky wiped some sweat off of his brow.

"An' not a moment too soon," Ladonna said, looking out the window. Arthur walked over, but Ladonna quickly shoved him away.

"What is it," he asked.

"It's Muffy's limo," she said, the color drained from her face. "Y'all have to get out of here. Now!" They didn't wait another second. Brain grabbed the rocket and Arthur and Buster grabbed the extra supplies. "Ye can head out the backdoor." Brain stopped and looked behind him. Binky was standing at the front door.

"What are you doing," he asked. "We have to leave."

Binky didn't turn around. "Go on without me," he said. "There's something I have to do. You make that rocket ready to fly, while I deal with this." Without another word, Binky thrust opened the door and sprinted across the yard and down the street. The limo peeled out of it's parking spot and tore after him. This was their chance! The others, Arthur, Buster, Brain, and Ladonna, ran out of the door when the limo was out of sight and went the opposite direction.

"I hope Binky's going to be ok," Buster said as they ran.

"Me too," Arthur said. "All we can do now is hope and run." And that's exactly what they did.

Lucky for them, Brain's house was only a 10-minute run from Ladonna's. Just as they arrived at his front door, Buster's phone rang. He answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," a whispering voice responded.

"Binky? Is that you," he asked. "Are you ok? Where are you?"

"I'm fine for now," he answered, his voice in a whisper again. "I'm in the park. I'm hiding from Bailey, but I don't know how long it'll be before he finds me. I need an extraction plan."

"But, we don't have an extraction plan," Buster said.

"Oh yes we do," Brain said. He took the phone from Buster. "Binky, stay hidden for a few more minutes. We'll be right there." With that, he hung up and tossed the phone back to Buster as he walked over to his garage.

"You have an escape plan," Arthur asked. "What is it?"

"It's you, Arthur," Brain answered opening the garage. "Well, you and Buster." When the door was up, they all looked inside. All that was there was Arthur's GX Trailblazer, Binky's bike, and Buster's bike.

"What do you mean," Buster asked. "All I see are our bikes."

"Exactly," Brain responded. "The other day when you brought them here, you went home without them. So, I took the liberty in modifying them. They can now go four times faster. With them, you'll get to Binky in no time."

"So, we're going to use our bikes to take his bike to him," Arthur asked looking over the bikes.

"Correct," Brain answered. "They're all set and ready to go. Each wheel rotation has been modified to go the equivalent of four turns. Just ride like you would normally."

"Alright, I'm down," Buster said, climbing on his and fastening his helmet.

"One more thing, you'll both be towing Binky's bike so it doesn't lose balance and tip," Brain said. "To detach, you both pull on these ropes." He pointed at the red rope in between the handle bars. "If you pull it while riding, you should both pull at the exact same time and the bike should ride on it's own for a second. If you pull at different times, the bike could fall and take you with it, so be careful."

"We will," Arthur said, strapping on his helmet. "Ready, Buster?"

"You bet," he answered. They both walked their bikes down to the curb and climbed on before zooming off in a cloud of dust. Ladonna and Brain coughed until the dust settled. When it did, Brain rushed to his front door.

"Come on, Ladonna," he yelled back. "We still have work that has to be done and not much time to do it in." She hurried to catch up, as she ran inside and closed the door.

"What do we do first," she asked as she followed Brain up to his room. It was a very elaborate design. The walls were a soothing green. There was a deck with a computer on it with the drawers full of paper neatly organized and alphabetized. There were posters all over the walls, varying from the solar system to famous scientists, like Einstein and Newton. There was even a microscope too. He was over at one of the tables in the corner that was covered with glassware and chemicals.

"Come over here," he motioned. "I need you to watch this flask. Notify me as soon as this turns clear and bubbles form on the sides."

She picked it up and looked at it. "What is it," she asked.

"It's the fuel," he answered. "Be very careful. It can be unstable if shaken." He then turned to another beaker. He poured the contents into a tray and started to disassemble the rocket. Then, he dipped the pieces into the substance and put them back on the rocket.

"What are you doing," she asked, turning back to the flask she was watching.

"It a special polymer I created," he explained. "It's lightweight, clear, fast drying, non-stick, and it can make sure anything survives the harsh climate of space."

"Woah," she said in awe. "How did you create something like that?"

"A story for another time," he answered. "Right now, we have to get this done."

Meanwhile, Arthur and Buster were flying to the park. The sun was just beginning to set. It was an incredible feeling, like they were in a car. The wind rushing by, the smells from everything they passed, and everything being a blur as they passed. They made sure to keep even pace with each other, pedal for pedal. They had only been pedaling for a few minutes, but they had already crossed almost half of Elwood City.

"There's the park," Buster shouted out to Arthur. He wa right. It was coming up, and fast. They slowed down a bit so they could look for Binky.

"Nothing on this side," Arthur admitted. "Let's check the other side." He and Buster then picked up speed again and right as they did, someone burst out of the bushes a ways out in front of them. It was Binky! Buster felt like cheering, but it was short lived as he saw Binky being chased by Bailey, and he was gaining. They had to hurry. They both pedaled at caught up quickly.

"BINKY," Buster shouted. "INCOMING!" Without any need for a countdown or signal, both Arthur and Buster pulled the ropes in sync. The bike became detached and slowly fell back behind them, still standing perfectly upright. They zoomed past Binky and Bailey. Bailey got a little discombobulated, which was just the edge Binky needed. He eyed the oncoming bike and worked out the timing in his head. Right as the bike was about to run him over, he sidestepped to the right, held his hands out, grabbed onto the seat and handlebars, and held tight. As he grabbed it, the bike revolved Binky as he spun around one with it. After one rotation, he set the bike back on the ground and use the momentum to give him a boost to start. He quickly pulled himself upright and gained some control. He then slammed on the brakes, and slid sideways down the sidewalk, leaving black marks and the smell of burnt rubber. He then pedaled back past the dazed Bailey towards Brain's house, seeing Arthur and Buster up the road ahead.

"Thanks guys," he said when he caught up to them. "What's up with these bikes?"

"Brain tuned them up," Arthur answered. "We'll explain when we get back to Brain's."

"Before we get there though," Binky said, "I have to go back to my house and pick something up."

"Now that you mention it," Buster said, "I have to get something from my place too."

"Alright," Arthur said. "We'll all meet up back at Brain's. Hurry though. We don't have much time. Muffy and Francine could be right behind us." Buster and Binky nodded and at the next intersection took the turns instead of going straight through with Arthur. "I hope they're going to be alright," he thought.

Back at Brain's house, the rocket was just about ready to go. Brain was just finishing up putting the last pieces together, when Ladonna shouted, "IT'S READY! IT'S READY!" Brain quickly went over and took the flask from her. He then combined Ladonna's chemical with a dark black liquid that resembled tar. As soon as he poured all of Ladonna's liquid into the other flask, he corked it and shook. Strangely, the clear liquid completely surrounded and, in some way, compressed the sludge into a single mass and it began to glow.

"It's ready," he exclaimed. "Now, where are the guys?" Right as he asked, he saw Arthur fly into his garage. Less than a minute later, Arthur was running up the stairs into Brain's room. "Where are Buster and Binky?"

Arthur bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees. "They.. they had to… get some stuff… from their houses," he huffed. "They should… be here soon."

"Well, they need to hurry," he said. "The rocket is ready to go, the fuel is finished, and the calculations are almost complete."

"Then, let's get it all set up, so all we have to do is attach Uncle Slam when they get here," Arthur said.

"I'll help, Ladonna said, and she and Arthur carefully picked up the rocket. Brain grabbed the polymer, fuel, and a notepad with his calculations on them and followed them out to the backyard. When they arrived at the point of the initial launch site, they both gently set the rocket down, as arthur ran off to get the launch stand. Ladonna then ran out towards the fence that led to the front driveway. As soon as she arrived, she almost ran right into Sue-Ellen. "Wooahh," she said, skidding to a stop. She then looked behind Sue-Ellen and saw Fern too. "What are you both doin' here?"

"We came to see the rocket," Sue-Ellen answered. "Is it too late?"

"No, no," Ladonna answered with a smile. "Ya made it just in time." She then stepped to the side and let the two girls past into the yard. When she turned back to shut the gate, she heard yelling. She looked down the road and saw Binky and Buster flying down the sidewalk. They both slowed down as they approached the house, but jumped off their bikes before they stopped. They regained their balance and sprinted towards Ladonna.

"MOVE," Binky yelled. "WE HAVE TO MOVE!" She held open the gate as the two rushed through. She closed the gate and saw why they had to hurry. The Crosswire limo was coming up the street. They had finally caught up! She quickly turned and ran back to where everyone was gathering.

"QUICK! THEY'RE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET," she exclaimed. Brain was now furiously working out the calculations, Arthur was filling the rocket with fuel, and Binky was dipping Uncle Slam into the polymer. He then quickly secured him onto the rocket, making sure to put him on the top and not at the seam again. Buster then ran over and attached something else to the top of the rocket, but Ladonna couldn't see what it was.

"DONE," Brain shouted. He ran over to the rocket and adjusted it to fit his calculations. "Taking into account the size and weight of the rocket, the weather, temperature, and wind speed, this will get us into space!" He then took the fuse and pulled it back towards the bush they were crouching behind. Right as he struck the match and put it to the fuse, he heard the tires of the limo screeching to a halt. It was now or never! The fuse ignited and crackled towards the rocket. Arthur, Buster, Binky, Brain, Sue-Ellen, Fern, and Ladonna all watched intensively as the fuse got shorter and shorter. It's flames matching the color of the sun that had just set. Twilight was upon them. The guys put on their safety goggles and the girls crouched behind the bush. Just then, Francine and Muffy burst through the gate. "NOOOOOOOOO," they both screamed and advanced towards the vessel, but it was too late.

Everything happened in slow motion. The fire ran out of fuse to burn. It reached the end and touched the bottom of the rocket. As soon as it did, the rocket spewed flames from its engines. Muffy, Sue Ellen, Fern, Ladonna, and Francine reeled back and shielded their eyes from the blinding light. The rocket left the platform it was sitting on and streaked into the evening sky. Sue Ellen, Ladonna, and Fern cheered with delight and happiness, while Muffy and Francine watched the rocket in horror.

"We couldn't stop it Francine," Muffy wailed, "It's headed for your house."

Francine quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed up her phone number. She pressed the CALL button and impatiently walked back and forth on the lawn, never averting her eyes from the rocket. The ringer rang twice before someone finally picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is the Frensky home. Oliver speaking."

"Dad," she said frantically, "This is Francine."

"Hey Franky (his special name for her)," he responded, "What's up?"

"You have to take cover," she exclaimed, "All of you. You, mom, Catherine, and Nemo (her cat). There's a rocket headed towards our apartment."

"Francine," he said sternly, "What have I told you about prank calling?"

"It's not a prank call dad," she shouted, "It's real. Trust me."

"Okay Franky," he sighed, "We'll play along."

She heard on the other end of the phone the sound of footsteps and raised voices asking multiple questions. She assumed it was her dad yanking Catherine out of her room and explaining the situation. All the while, Muffy was yelling that she was going to sue everyone for everything they own.

"Just wait until I call my lawyers," Muffy said, pointing at Brain, "You'll have nothing left, except for the clothes on your back."

"Muffy, you've got it all wrong," Brain assured, "We aren't aiming for Francine's apartment."

"Ha, that's a lie," Muffy scoffed, 'You hit my house and now you are going to for her's."

"We didn't mean to hit your house Muffy," Arthur inputted, "It was an accident, and we can prove it."

He motioned for Buster to come over to the group. "Show her the video."

Buster opened up his video camera and played back the failed launch of the rocket earlier that day. Muffy witnessed how the squirrel tipped the rocket and it fired in the direction of her mansion. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. She felt so foolish. Quickly, she ran over to Francine who was still talking on the phone.

"Francine, we need to talk," Muffy said, grabbing Francine's sleeve.

"What is it," Francine said, putting the phone down.

Muffy then explained to Francine how the whole thing was a big misunderstanding and that the rocket wasn't headed for the apartment. She told about the squirrel and the misfire and how there was nothing to worry about. Francine sheepishly lifted the phone back up to her ear and told her family it was a false alarm.

"I'm sorry everyone," Francine said into the phone, "I made a mistake."

"We both did," Muffy inputted.

On the other end of the phone, there was grumbling and shuffling around. Then, the call ended. "So, you didn't target us," Francine asked Brain. He shook his head.

"So, we've been chasing you all day for nothing," Muffy exclaimed.

"I wouldn't say for nothing," Buster answered. "If it wasn't for you, we might not have built the second rocket today and launched it."

"That's true," Muffy admitted. "I guess then I'm pretty glad things turned out the way they did, except for my home of course."

"You're welcome to stay with me until it's rebuilt," Francine offered. Muffy smiled at her best friend and accepted her offer.

Buster then walked over to Brain. "Hey Brain? What's the maximum weight that could be added to the rocket without your calculations being thrown off?"

"Well," he said looking down at his notepad, "I'd estimate no more than 2.5 pounds."

"Ok, good," Buster sighed. "The things I added only weighed 1.9 pounds."

Brain turned and looked at Buster. "What exactly did you put on it?"

"Just… this," he said, holding up his phone. On it was a video playing of clouds rushing by. Brain realized what it was.

"Is that a high-speed video camera attached to the rocket's top?"

"You bet," Buster said. "My dad got it for me when he visited NASA on business. They were handing these prototypes out. They're said to be able to transmit video for millions of miles away crystal clear and as they happen." He smiled and added, "I also put on a picture of our whole class on there, both things coated in your polymer, so they'll last forever." Brain smiled back at his friend. They never gave him enough credit for his ideas. Brain took one last look at the video feed and walked off towards the launch pad. As soon as he left, Sue-Ellen walked over and took his place next to Buster. She looked at the screen, then at his face.

"So, you came up with this idea," she asked.

"Yeah," Buster admitted. "Pretty shocking, isn't it?"

She giggled. "I wouldn't say that," she answered. "You're a pretty smart guy." She then slid up next to him and slid her hand into his open hand hanging limp at his side. It was cool to the touch of her warm hand. He flinched a bit, but relaxed as he intertwined his fingers with hers as they looked up into the clear night sky.

Arthur was laying out on the open lawn, staring up at the stars, looking for the rocket. "This spot taken," a voice asked next to him. He looked over and smiled that it was Ladonna.

"No, no one's laying there," he answered, not taking his eyes off the sky.

"May I," she asked.

"Of course," he responded. She laid down and looked up at the stars too. After a couple minutes of silence, she finally turned over onto his side and looked at Arthur.

"Today was really fun," she started. "Thanks for lettin' me be a part of it."

"It was really fun," he admitted, looking over at her. "I'm glad you were a part of it too. Maybe we could do something like this again sometime. Except, without the high stakes and running." He laughed at this and so did she. They both looked at each other as they slowly stopped laughing. They both smiled and moved closer to each other.

"Ya know, I just may take ya up on that proposal," she said quietly, as she grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze. He squeezed back, smiled, and closed his eyes, not letting go of her hand, and she didn't care.

Brain was over at the launch pad, disassembling it, and inspecting the parts for damage. Fern walked over to him. She didn't say anything at first. She instead just stood there, her hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels. When Brain finally stood up and turned to her, she held out a journal to him. "I'd like for you to be the first to see this," she said with a shy smirk.

He took at from her and read the page. "Rocketeer: The story of a boy, his friends, and one crazy day," it read. "What is it," he asked handing it back to her.

"It's going to be a story I'm writing," she answered, "recapping the events from today. Is that alright with you?"

He smiled. "Of course it is," he answered. "I wouldn't want anyone else to write this. I already have the best author." She looked down smiling, and Brian could see her blushing. He turned back to his work.

"Wait," Fern blurted out. He turned back to her. "I-I have something else to show you." She pulled out another book from her backpack. Brain recognized it as the book she was carrying when they got kicked out of her house. She opened it, flipped through a few pages and handed it to him. He looked down at the pages. On it was what appeared to be character bios. There was one, Watteau, that had a picture of Fern next to it, another one that had George by it, and the last one had Binky by it. When he finished reading the descriptions, he handed it back to her.

"What did you want me to see," he asked. "All it said in there that Watteau had a crush on the Grey Dove, who happens to look like Binky. So, why are you showing me and not him?"

"Because he's already seen it," she answered. "But, you both didn't look closer." As she said this, she turned the diary back to Brain. At first, he didn't know what she was talking about. Then, he noticed something about the Grey Dove's picture. There was something underneath. He lifted up the picture of Binky and was surprised when he found a picture of himself.

"I don't… understand," he stuttered, handing the diary back.

She smiled at him. "Come on, genius," she said playfully. "You can figure this one out. Need another hint?"

"Uh… an explanation would be better," he confessed. He knew almost every subject, but the psychology of women was something he never mastered. She smiled as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. He was stunned. He reached up and touched the spot she had kissed him. His cheeks turned bright red as he turned to her. It was at that time when he saw what others saw; he did like like her. He smiled back at her as he then looked up into the sky. She stood next to him and intertwined her fingers in his.

"Do you think we'll see the rocket again," she asked, looking up with him.

"I honestly hope not," he answered. "I want it to travel the universe. Go to the place where we never could." They both then sat down and watched the sky, never letting go of each other.

Binky was leaning against the house, watching all these scenes unfold, and he couldn't be happier. All his friends were having moments with the people they were meant to have moments with. Even though he didn't have anyone, he didn't mind. He didn't want anyone. The lone wolf profile fit him best. Francine and Muffy walked over to him. "What are you doing over here all by yourself," Francine asked.

"Yeah," Muffy added. "You should be with us, celebrating."

"Eh, crowds aren't really my thing," he shrugged. "Besides, everyone's having moments and I don't really want to be a third wheel."

"Well, that makes sense," Muffy admitted. "But, why don't you come hang out with us?"

"Nah, that's alright," he answered. "I think I'll be heading home pretty soon."

"Why," a voice answered to his right. It was Arthur being followed by Ladonna. "Brain's mom is making dinner for us."

"It's true," Brain said, as he and Fern joined the group. You can't leave yet."

"And besides," Buster added as he and Sue-Ellen came over, "we still have to see if Uncle Slam made it into space." He held out the screen as everyone crowded around it. They all watched in anticipation as the clouds disappeared and all that was on the camera was the stars.

"If my calculations are correct, it should launch into Phase 2 right….. NOW!" As he said it, the camera shook and briefly slowed down. Then, it took back off as it rocketed through the atmosphere. Everyone started jumping and cheering. Brain swung Fern around and hugged her as did all the guys to their respective partners. When they let go, all the guys gave each other high-fives and pat on the back. They did it!

"Oh yeah," Buster said, "I almost forgot." He held up the phone and swiped up. Two levers appeared. "These move the camera. Up, down, left, right, and around." He maneuvered it to show Uncle Slam. He was still securely fastened and appeared to be waving at them. Binky gave a mock salute to his action figure and laughed. They all looked up into the sky, knowing that, somewhere up there, Uncle Slam was heading out on the final frontier.


	6. This is the end

_Elsewhere, in Washington D.C…._

The Pentagon was in a mad state of panic. Phones were ringing, people were running all over the place, all talking at once. It was absolute chaos. "Whereabouts of the launchsite?"

"It broke the atmosphere."

"Is this the first rocket of war?"

"Where is it heading?" In amidst of all the chaos, the main door opened up. A tall, firmly built man stepped through. He was wearing a navy blue uniform that was covered in medals and badges. He was the highest ranked person in the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in amazement and fear. He took his hat off, handed it to one of the assistants next to him. He ran his hand through this silver hair and gave a big sigh.

"Can anyone tell me exactly what just happened," he asked, his voice booming through the crowded room. Everyone looked at each other, not daring to be the one to speak up. Finally, a man with thick framed glasses stood up.

He cleared his throat and held up some papers and began to read from them. "At exactly 9:52 PM standard time, an unidentified object was launched into space. We haven't confirmed a visual yet sir, but we're working on it."

"Where was this launched from," he asked. "Is one of our enemy countries waging war?"

"Negative, sir," the man replied. "We can't pin the exact location, but we have it narrowed down to somewhere in Elwood City."

"I want a team to go to Elwood City now," he commanded. "We need this to be resolved quickly. Get on the news about this. Scare whoever is responsible for this out of hiding. We need this to be solved as fast as possible. Forward every bit of information you can gather. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES SIR," everyone shouted, and went back to work.

The back door opened and Mrs. Powers poked her head out. "Who's hungry," she called out.

"WE ARE," everyone shouted in unison and they rushed into the house. It didn't take long for them to all fill up the table and begin eating. They were all starving, especially Arthur, Buster, Brain, Binky, Muffy, and Francine because they had been running and riding all day. Binky sat at one end while Brain sat at the other end. There wasn't a whole lot of conversation because everyone was too busy eating to talk. They all enjoyed the pizza that Mrs. Powers had ordered for them. Binky was halfway through his third slice when he finally started a conversation.

"So (gulp), what's our next adventure going to be," he asked.

"Well, there are some ideas I have," Brain said wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Like trying to make super powers."

Arthur was taking a drink and then shot it out his nose. "What did you say," he coughed, wiping off his face.

"Well, I've been studying different parts of the animal kingdom," he explained, "specifically, the strangest mutations. Speed, regeneration, strength, super senses. They're all over. I've almost cracked these genetic codes and if I replicate it, I can theoretically give people the powers that these animals have." Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"That would be amazing," Buster finally said, with his mouth hanging open. He put a slice of pizza on his tongue and pushed his chin to close his mouth and chew.

"I've got another idea," Sue-Ellen said, looking around the table. "What if we went on a treasure hunt? There are tons of legends of treasure that haven't been verified as truth of myth."

"Hey," Buster said, as he shot out of his chair. "That gives be a great idea!" He looked around looking for a response.

"Well, what is it," Arthur finally said.

"We should go myth hunting," he exclaimed.

"What's that," Ladonna asked.

"It's where you go and investigate various myths to see if they're true or not. Like aliens, the loch ness monster, or skunkamonka."

Brain shook his head, but Ladonna was really interested. "That sounds cool," she said. "We should definitely try that."

"Ooh, what if we all went on a trip to the most glamorous places on Earth," Muffy suggested. "That way, I can give you all the makeovers you desperately need."

"Maybe some other time," Fern said. "But, I think there's something else we could do."

"Like what," Francine asked.

"What if we did a bunch of group activities together? I have a list of some of the best ideas in my diary." She pulled it out and began to flip through the pages. "There's an escape room, a haunted corn maze, a movie night, skydiving, a sporting event. The possibilities are endless."

"Well, I'd definitely want to do something," Francine said. "This is one of the best groups to do an activity with."

"Here here," Binky said, holding up his glass. Everyone else held up theirs, and laughed. They all then went back to finishing their pizza.

"I think my mom has some ice cream in the freezer for dessert," Brain said.

"I'll go check," Sue-Ellen said, as she made her way to the kitchen. She opened the freezer, grabbed the two tubs of ice cream and started to bring them back. As she walked by the living room, she saw the tv was on the news. She looked at the headline and stopped in her tracks. She almost dropped the tubs. "GUYS! GUYS! COME HERE! QUICK!"

There was a loud commotion as everyone rushed into the living room, knocking over some of their chairs. They all found her rooted in the doorway of the room. Brain turned to see what she was looking at and he froze too. On the TV was a important news bulletin. The headline read "Rogue Missile Launched from Elwood City".

"I didn't think that they'd be on it that fast," Fern whispered.

"It's the government," Binky said. "Why wouldn't it be fast?"

"What're we gonna do," Ladonna asked. "We'll be in serious trouble if they find out it was us."

"Not quite," Brain said. They all looked at him. "I mean, the four of us will probably will get into trouble, but not you girls. You had nothing to do with this."

"That's crazy," Francine said. "I mean, sure. We didn't help you make it, but we were just as much a part of it as you."

"While that may be, you probably won't be arrested, just maybe brought in for questioning at the worst."

"But, that still doesn't explain what we're going to do," Buster said.

"I don't know what we can do," Brain replied. "We can't run because that would just make it worse and if we come forward and confess, we'll still have to go through trial with all the evidence against us. What do you guys think?"

"I don't know," Arthur said. "I don't want to spend my life in jail. Who will take care of Pal?"

"Yeah, and who will take care of my mom," Buster said, "or the community garden? What about you, Binky?" He turned to face Binky, but he was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Maybe he went home," Francine suggested. "He did say he was going to a while ago."

"Well, wherever he is, I'm going to make sure that we get out of this alright," Brain said, as he ran up to his room. He returned with a laptop. He quickly got logged on and started rapidly typing. Screens were flying by and lines of code would appear and disappear in a flash.

"What are you doing," Fern asked.

"I'm getting clearance to launch that rocket. I'm registering the rocket into the FAA database. That's the Federal Aviation Administration. If I can make all the right statistics fit…. got it," he exclaimed. He hit the print button and ran upstairs to his room. He came back down with a very official looking paper. They all tried to read it, but it didn't make any sense to them.

"What is it," Muffy finally asked.

Brain smiled. "With this document, our rocket was legally registered to fly."

"So, if the people come to arrest you..." Francine said.

"Then, I show them this, and the whole problem is resolved," Brain finished.

"YAY," the girls cheered, and the guys all high-fived. Brain went to turn off the TV, but right as he did, a new story appeared; "Boy Confesses to Launching Rocket; Trial Begins Tomorrow". They all stood there, mouths hanging open. Sue-Ellen dropped the ice cream she was holding, and it splattered all over the floor. But, no one even reacted.

No one really slept well that night. Everyone lied awake, worrying about their friend. Probably stuck up in a cell somewhere, waiting to be sentenced to a lifetime in jail. They also didn't find a way to tell Binky's parents. All they could say was that he was staying one of their houses. It seemed like an eternity before the sun rose. Everyone instinctively did their morning routines and headed to Muffy's. They all agreed to meet there last night because she had the biggest TV. Even though her house was a smoldering wreck beginning to be rebuilt, she still had a luxurious playhouse that had just as big of a TV. They all met up and sat down, not saying a word to each other. There wasn't anything to say. They all just sat and watched the news broadcast of the trial, live in Washington.

Because this is a major offense, the trial was being held in the Supreme Court. Hundreds of reporters and spectators lined the steps and sidewalks, waiting for Binky to arrive. Some looked like they had been camping out ever since Binky had "confessed". Normally, Buster would point out random people in the crowd and make a joke, but his heart wasn't in it today.

After a half hour or so, the armored car pulled into view. All the cameras and people turned their attention to the vehicle, snapping hundreds of pictures before it even got to the steps. When it finally came to a halt, two men and dark suits, sunglasses, and earpieces exited the front of the truck and went around to the back. They opened the double doors on the back, where another guard led out Binky. He hadn't changed his clothes and he looked no different than the night before. There was no sign of stress, anger, fatigue, or even fear. He looked calm and ready to take on the court. This sparked a little bit of hope in his friends, as they all sat with their fingers crossed. The reporters peppered Binky with questions, all of which he shrugged off, smiled, and waved at the cameras.

"How can he be so confident," Brain asked. "All the evidence is going to be against him."

"I don't know," Fern said. "Maybe he's just putting of a mask to hide his true feelings. When you show you're confident, you appear confident."

"Maybe," Arthur said softly, "but, will it be enough?"

"We're about to find out," Sue-Ellen responded. "They're starting." They all turned their attention back to the screen, where Binky was sat behind a table with a strange man, probably the lawyer that was assigned to him. The seats in the audience quickly filled up with the people on the steps. They all sat there patiently, but all mumbling to each other.

"ALL RISE," the clerk's voice echoed through the room. Everyone stood, as the judge walked in. he sat in his high seat, picked up his gavel and slammed it down.

"Be seated," he commanded, as everyone did. Binky glanced to the jury box where 12 people sat waiting to either convict him, or pardon. More of the formalities went by, the opening statements, some witnesses were called, and things didn't look good for Binky. Well, he was going to change that. As the last witness left the stand, he was called up, sworn in, and took a seat on the Witness Stand. The prosecutor walked up to him, took of the glasses that rested on the edge of his long nose, and tapped them against his chin. He looked like a vulture.

"You may begin your questioning, Mr. Smith," the judge said.

"Thank you, your honor. Mr. Barnes," he began, "where were you yesterday afternoon?"

"In Elwood City," he responded blunty.

"Specifically," Smith prodded.

"It's hard to say," Binky said. "I went all over town."

"And why did you do that?"

"Because I was riding my bike."

"Why were you riding your bike?"

"Because it was a nice day and I had just made some upgrades to it."

"Was there any other reason? Like you were running, looking for parts to the rocket?"

"Objection," Binky's lawyer said standing up. "Leading the witness."

"Sustained," the judge said.

"Let me rephrase the question," Mr. Smith said. "Specifically, where did you go in Elwood City?"

"Well, I went to my friends' house and we hung out all day."

"These friends," Smith asked, "what did you do with them?"

"We rode all over town," Binky answered. "We did some crafts, poetry, and star-gazing."

"Sounds like a good time," Mr. Smith said nodding. "And just who were these friends of yours?"

"Your honor," the lawyer said, "I don't see where this line of questioning is going."

"I must agree with you," the judge said and turned to Mr Smith. "Unless you can come up with some solid evidence, I'm afraid I'll have to adjourn this court."

This made Smith mad. Not only was he being scolded by the judge, but he was being played by a third grader! He had to get his reputation back. So, he began to fire questions as Binky fired back answers just as fast, relaxing in his chair.

"Did you do anything illegal?"

"Nope."

"Did your friends do anything illegal?"

"Nope."

"Where is the rocket you made?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't what?"

"I didn't make a rocket."

"Then, where did it come from?"

"Where did what come from?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Answer my question!"

"What question?"

"The one I just asked about the rocket!"

"What rocket?"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" He lunged towards the witness stand, but was quickly restrained. Everyone began talking at once. Taking pictures, asking questions, some even screamed. The judge kept slamming his gavel.

"ORDER! ORDER!" he yelled. "I SAID ORDER!" After a few more minutes, everyone settled down. The judge looked at the prosecutor, then to Binky. He sighed. "Since no disputable evidence was brought forward against the defendant, I have no choice but to dismiss all charges. Case dismissed." He slammed his gavel down and Binky jumped out of his seat.

"WOO HOO! YOU GUYS SEE THAT? Ha HA" he celebrated, running out of the courtroom, giving high-fives to people, even some of the guards. He ran out, where a limo was waiting for him. "Take me home, Reginald." The man smiled and closed the door.

Back in Elwood City, everyone was jumping up and down celebrating! They couldn't believe it! Binky had actually won! They cheered and hugged each other and they kept on doing so until the man of the hour showed up a few hours later. However, by that time, they had arranged a party.

He opened the doors to the playhouse, and was greeted with confetti, balloons, streamers, and, of course, his friends. They all had party hats on like it was a birthday or something.

"CONGRATULATIONS BINKY," Ladonna cheered. Everyone surrounded him and gave him similar messages of praise. All the other guys gave him high-fived because he saved the mission. As he made his way through the crowd towards the cake near the back of the room, he saw a single person over by it. It was Jenna Morgan; another student from their class. She was shorter than everyone that was there, dressed in her usual pink dress with yellow collar and yellow and white lace trim down the front. Her long, white socks were hiked up to her knees that led down into her brown shoes. Her skin varied in the seasons, so for the summer, it was a light tan, similar to Arthur's. She had cat-like ears on the top of her head and freckles on her face. She looked over at Binky with a nervous smile. He simply stared at her. Francine walked over and looked at him.

"Oh yeah. Jenna saw you on TV, and when she heard we were throwing a party for you, she asked to come," she said, as if she had read Binky's thoughts. She walked over towards him.

"That was.. uh... a brave thing you did there," she muttered.

"Oh you know," he said. "I do stuff like that all the time." He polished his nails on his shirt and looked at them. "If you want sometime, I'll tell you all about it."

"Really," she asked. "That would be so cool."

"I know," he answered. "But, for now…" he picked up a slice of cake and took a big bite of it. He swallowed. "I've gotta go see my parents. They're probably worried sick about me." With that, he left. Everyone walked outside and watched him walk down the street.

"There goes a real American hero," Buster sighed.

"No Buster," Arthur responded. "There goes Binky."

The End


End file.
